BOOK REVIEW: Because of you
by David Hall
At 520 pages, this book is a little long for my liking, with the slow pace doing little to change that view.
Covering three decades in the life of Swedish beauty Hannah Stein, from the time when, as a teenager, she leaves her home in Malmo to spend a year in London before taking up teaching, it takes its time, unveiling several relationships of the key characters but all written in a stilted English. We learn plenty about the club scene in England at the time, and how pretty she is – that latter fact being emphasised every time she meets someone new.
Hannah falls in love with Mark, a womaniser of repute – brash, careless and cocky – which heralds a load of problems as she is also attracted to Ben, a much nicer character who is prepared to wait for his love to be requited.
The novel takes too long to reach its conclusion, attempting to paint a rich emphasis in family life, but doing it in a twee way which adds to the boredom.
